DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 3/26/24 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “first communication control unit configured to perform control to perform wireless communication”, “acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the communication apparatus, specification information”, “second communication control unit configured to perform control to start”, & “first transmission control unit configured to perform control to transmit”, in claims 1 & 19.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-6, 14-17, & 19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US PG Pub 2016/0277486 to Chen.
Regarding claim 1. Chen discloses at least one memory and at least one processor of an information processing apparatus (Fig. 1, Abstract) to function as:
a first communication control unit configured to perform control to perform wireless communication with a communication apparatus by a first communication method of performing communication without intervention of an external access point (“an electronic device establishing a first connection with an internet protocol (IP) camera through a peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol”, paragraph 7);
an acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the communication apparatus, specification information for specifying the communication apparatus by communication of the first communication method (“an electronic device establishing a first connection with an internet protocol (IP) camera through a peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol; the IP camera transmitting a frame information to the electronic device through the first connection”, paragraph 7);
a second communication control unit configured to perform control to start, after the acquisition unit acquires the specification information, wireless communication of a second communication method as a communication method via the external access point (“the IP camera … connecting to a cloud server through a second connection to check whether the electronic device registers a registration information related to the IP camera in the cloud server”, paragraph 7); and
a first transmission control unit configured to perform control to transmit the specification information acquired by the acquisition unit to a specific server system connected to an external network by the communication of the second communication method started by the control of the second communication control unit (“After the IP camera receives the connection information, the IP camera is able to connect to the cloud server. Under a condition that the IP camera connects to the cloud server via an AP of a wireless local area network (WLAN), after the IP camera receives the connection information, the IP camera has to switch to a Wi-Fi mode so as to connect to the cloud server via the AP”, paragraph 5).
Regarding claim 2. Chen discloses wherein the first communication method is a communication method of performing communication via a wireless LAN interface (“the IP camera connects to the cloud server via an AP of a wireless local area network (WLAN)”, paragraph 5).
Regarding claim 3. Chen discloses wherein the first communication method is Wi-Fi Direct (“In Step 204, the electronic device 100 establishes the first connection CON1 with the IP camera 102 through the peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol, wherein the peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol may be Wi-Fi Direct”, paragraph 21).
Regarding claim 4. Chen discloses wherein the first communication method is a communication method in which the communication apparatus functions as one of a group owner and an access point (“In Step 204, the electronic device 100 establishes the first connection CON1 with the IP camera 102 through the peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol, wherein the peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol may be Wi-Fi Direct”, paragraph 21; note: Wi-Fi Direct®, direct connection is understood in the art as a method of implementing direct connection by providing the function of the AP to a terminal by a software AP).
Regarding claim 5 Chen discloses wherein the second communication control unit controls to start wireless communication of the second communication method even in a case where a user does not perform a connection destination switching operation after the acquisition unit acquires the specification information (“the IP camera … connecting to a cloud server through a second connection to check whether the electronic device registers a registration information related to the IP camera in the cloud server”, paragraph 7; as no pause is implemented here for User switching in Chen the claim reads upon Chen).
Regarding claim 6. Chen discloses wherein the second communication control unit controls to disconnect communication of the first communication method and to perform communication of the second communication method (“In Step 204, the electronic device 100 establishes the first connection CON1 with the IP camera 102 through the peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol, wherein the peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol may be Wi-Fi Direct”, paragraph 21; note: Wi-Fi Direct®, direct connection is understood in the art as a method of implementing restriction and direct connection/disconnection by providing the function of the AP to a terminal by a software AP).
Regarding claim 14. Chen discloses wherein the control of the second communication control unit and the control of the first transmission control unit are executed in a restricted state in which communication between the communication apparatus and the information processing apparatus via the external access point is restricted (“In Step 204, the electronic device 100 establishes the first connection CON1 with the IP camera 102 through the peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol, wherein the peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol may be Wi-Fi Direct”, paragraph 21; note: Wi-Fi Direct®, direct connection is understood in the art as a method of implementing restriction and direct connection by providing the function of the AP to a terminal by a software AP).
Regarding claim 15. Chen discloses wherein the restricted state is a state in which a privacy separator function is enabled in the external access point (“In Step 204, the electronic device 100 establishes the first connection CON1 with the IP camera 102 through the peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol, wherein the peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol may be Wi-Fi Direct”, paragraph 21; note: Wi-Fi Direct®, direct connection is understood in the art as a method of implementing restriction and direct connection by providing the function of the AP to a terminal by a software AP).
Regarding claim 16. Chen discloses wherein the control of the second communication control unit and the control of the first transmission control unit are executed as part of a series of processes for a setup of the communication apparatus (“In Step 206, after the first connection CON1 is established, the IP camera 102 transmits the frame information FR captured by the IP camera 102 directly to the electronic device 100 through the first connection CON1. At this time moment, the electronic device 100 merely receives and stores the frame information FR. Note that, at this time moment, the electronic device 100 has not obtained permission for displaying the frame information FR, meaning that the user is not able to watch the frame information FR captured by the IP camera 102 via the electronic device 100 yet. In addition, in the meantime, the IP camera 102 connects to the cloud server 104 through the second connection CON2, so as to confirm that the electronic device 100 has registered the registration information RG”, paragraph 22).
Regarding claim 17. Chen discloses wherein the control of the first transmission control unit is control to register the communication apparatus in a specific Web service (“In Step 206, after the first connection CON1 is established, the IP camera 102 transmits the frame information FR captured by the IP camera 102 directly to the electronic device 100 through the first connection CON1. At this time moment, the electronic device 100 merely receives and stores the frame information FR. Note that, at this time moment, the electronic device 100 has not obtained permission for displaying the frame information FR, meaning that the user is not able to watch the frame information FR captured by the IP camera 102 via the electronic device 100 yet. In addition, in the meantime, the IP camera 102 connects to the cloud server 104 through the second connection CON2, so as to confirm that the electronic device 100 has registered the registration information RG”, paragraph 22).
Regarding claim 19. Claim 19 is rejected for the same reasons and rational as provided above for claim 1.
Regarding claim 20. Claim 20 is rejected for the same reasons and rational as provided above for claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US PG Pub 2014/0118778 to Lee et al.
Regarding claim 7. Chen discloses wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor are further caused to function as a control unit configured to perform of the communication apparatus by the communication of the second communication method started by the control of the second communication control unit,
wherein the communication apparatus serves as a printer, and control to acquire a driver and install the driver in the information processing apparatus (“an electronic device establishing a first connection with an internet protocol (IP) camera through a peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol; the IP camera transmitting a frame information to the electronic device through the first connection”, paragraph 7). Chen does not disclose wherein the communication apparatus serves as a printer, and control to acquire a driver and install the driver in the information processing apparatus.
However, Lee in the same area of P2P and WiFi Direct image forming apparatus connection, discloses wherein the communication apparatus serves as a printer, and control to acquire a driver and install the driver in the information processing apparatus (“The network managing unit 110 activates a communication function (for example, a Wi-Fi Direct function) of the second communication network 20 of the electronic apparatus 100 when an application (e.g., a printing application or a printer driver installation program, hereinafter, referred to as an installation application) corresponding to a new installation of the image forming apparatus 200 is driven”, paragraph 70).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chen' s installation method and a network monitoring system to include: the communication apparatus serves as a printer, and control to acquire a driver and install the driver in the information processing apparatus.
It would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Chen' s installation method and network monitoring system by the teaching of Lee because of the following reasons: (a) to provide a wireless connection method, an image forming method, and a computer-readable recording medium, which are capable of easily performing wireless setting of an image forming apparatus, (paragraph 8, Lee); and (b) to overcome where configuring the connection between the IP camera and the cloud server in the prior art is complicated, as taught by Chen at paragraph 5.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-12 & 18 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US PG Pub 20190335519 to Ohkubo discloses a establishing a first connection between the communication apparatus and an external apparatus which is located external to the terminal apparatus and external to the communication apparatus. The communication is determined between the communication apparatus and the terminal apparatus through the external apparatus which is executable in a state where the communication apparatus and the terminal apparatus are connected to a same external apparatus as a result of the establishing the first connection. A second connection is established in a state in which the established first connection is maintained between the terminal apparatus and the communication apparatus without intervention of the external apparatus based on a determination that communication between the communication apparatus and the terminal apparatus through the external apparatus is not executable.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER D. WAIT, Esq. whose telephone number is (571)270-5976. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 9:30- 6:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abderrahim Merouan can be reached at 571 270-5254. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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CHRISTOPHER D. WAIT, Esq.
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2683
/CHRISTOPHER WAIT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2683